Various and many types of powered equipment or machines utilize cylinder assemblies which have a piston rod which extends and contracts and is thus vulnerable to the elements, such as corrosion and dirt conducive conditions. That is, outdoor working machinery, such as tractors and construction machines, all of which utilize cylinder assemblies with extendable piston rods, are subjected to rust and dirt conditions. In coping with this problem, heretofore it has been a practice and a requirement that the piston rod be treated and lubricated by applying a lubricant thereto and by doing so in a manual or hand operation in hopes of protecting the piston rod from detrimental effects. Such detrimental effects presented by the hostile environment of the natural elements of the atmosphere and the like are particularly severe when the cylinder assembly and the machine on which it is mounted is stored for a long period or is in transit, particularly when it is in overseas transit and is subjected to the air with high salt content which is conducive to promoting rust of the piston rod.
That is, it should be understood that the aforementioned type of equipment or machinery utilizes a piston rod which is of a precision nature and therefore dirt and rust on the rod are detrimental to the action of the cylinder assembly and can jeopardize the life and efficiency of the fluid seal in the cylinder assembly and over which the rod is normally moving. In fact, these piston rods can be chrome plated in order to promote the protection desired, as indicated above, but that is still not adequate for fighting the corrosion and dirt which can accumulate on the rod when it is in a hostile environment, as mentioned. Further, heavy machinery which is mobile, such as bulldozers, loaders, tractors, are normally driven onto a transport ship or other point of storage or shipment, and that requires that the cylinder assembly be actuated and therefore any lubricant or protective coating on the rod will be wiped off by normal use of the cylinder assembly and thus leave the rod exposed for the detrimental effects mentioned. In that situation, it is then necessary to recoat the exposed portion of the rod, and thus more coating material and labor and attention are required.
The present invention provides a rod oiler assembly which is positioned on the cylinder assembly and is thus always available for the required and instant coating of the rod, and thus the oiler assembly of this invention combats the detrimental effects and the hostile environment mentioned above. That is, at the time that the machinery or equipment with the cylinder assembly is to be subjected to the hostile environment of either shipping, storing, adverse working conditions, or whatever, the rod oiler assembly of this invention can be applied to the cylinder assembly and the rod will therefore be automatically and continuously coated with the desired protective coating to combat the hostile conditions. Still further, the rod oiler assembly of this invention can be applied after the entire cylinder assembly is installed and connected in a final and working form, and the oiler assembly is therefore capable of initially moving over the piston rod and then surrounding the piston rod and being connected to the cylinder assembly, all in a ready and easily accomplished manner and in an arrangement where the assembly can be readily and easily removed, if and when such removal is ever desired and no disassembly of the cylinder assembly itself is required.
Still further, the oiler assembly of this invention is arranged so that one retainer member will accommodate several sizes of cylinder assemblies themselves, and this is accomplished by having openings in the retainer member which are at various radial distances for alignment with openings in the cylinder assembly at the various radial distances and by the utilization of pins or plugs which extend through the then aligned openings. Further, the entire oiler assembly can be readily and easily positioned on the cylinder assembly and no special tools or skills are required, and the retainer fasteners can be pins which are simply driven into place with a mallet and which sufficiently securely hold a rod coating-impregnated member in snug position surrounding the piston rod.
In accomplishing the aforementioned, the oiler assembly of this invention is arranged so that it can be moved transversely over the piston rod and the extending end of the rod need not be disassembled or disconnected, and thus the coating-impregnated member is arranged to open up for transverse movement over the rod and to then be in snug endless contact with the circumference of the rod, and the assembly retainer member is arranged in two halves for transverse movement over the rod and then positioning on the cylinder assembly for holding the coating member in the snug contact mentioned.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a rod oiler assembly which coats the piston rod each time the rod moves, and thus the oiler assembly protects the piston rod from the environment and also assures that the fluid seal in the cylinder assembly will not be subjected to and thus damaged by a rod which might otherwise be contaminated due to lack of the needed coating.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.